Cookie Policy
Last updated: 31st July 2026
This page lists everything Otterli stores on your device — what it is, what it does, and how long it stays. We've written it as a plain inventory rather than a legal recital, because you should be able to check our claims against your own browser.
Two things worth knowing up front:
- Not all of it is technically a "cookie". Some is stored in your browser's local storage instead. The rules and your choices are the same either way, so we list both here.
- Nothing in the Analytics section below is stored unless you choose "Accept all cookies". Until you choose, and permanently if you choose "Essential only", none of it is set.
Your choice, and how to change it
The first time you visit, a banner asks whether you accept analytics cookies. You can change that decision at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer of every page. Withdrawing takes effect immediately: analytics stops, and the analytics cookie is deleted from your browser straight away.
We record your decision — and the date you made it — in your browser's local storage under otterli_consent. If we ever add something new that your previous choice didn't cover, that record is reset and we'll ask you again rather than assuming.
Refusing costs you nothing. Every part of Otterli, including the meal planner and the shopping list, works exactly the same either way.
Strictly necessary
These are needed for the site to function or to honour your privacy choice. They're set whatever you decide, and there's no way to switch them off while still using the site.
| Name | Type | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
astro-session | Cookie | A random session ID that links your visit to short-lived data we cache on our own server, such as product vendor details. It holds no personal information and is not readable by scripts. | Until you close your browser |
otterli_consent | Local storage | The cookie choice you made and when you made it, so we don't ask again on every page. | Until you clear it |
Remembering what you were doing
Otterli has no accounts and no login. These are what let you plan a week of meals, close the tab, and come back to find your plan still there.
While you're planning, all of this stays on your device. The one time your plan leaves it is when you export it — see Exporting your plan below.
| Name | Type | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
otterli_plan | Cookie | Your meal plan — which recipes you've placed on which day. | 30 days |
otterli_servings | Cookie | How many people you're planning meals for. | 30 days |
otterli_units | Cookie | Whether you want metric or US measurements. | 30 days |
otterli_country | Cookie | An older version of the measurement setting. We only read it, so a returning visitor doesn't lose their choice. We no longer create it, and it disappears on its own. | 30 days from when it was last set |
subscribeClosed, subscribeSuccess | Local storage | Remembers that you dismissed the newsletter card or already signed up, so we stop showing it. | Until you clear it |
Exporting your plan
This isn't storage on your device, but it's the one moment your meal plan does reach us, so it belongs here rather than buried elsewhere.
When you enter your email address and export a plan, two things happen:
- We email you the plan as a PDF with a grocery list. Your address and the email are handled by Resend, our email provider.
- We send ourselves a notification so we know the feature is being used. It contains your email address and the meals in the plan, with the day each was placed on, plus your measurement and servings settings.
A third thing happens only if you ask for it. There's an unticked box on the export form offering the occasional recipe idea; tick it and your address is added to our mailing list. Leave it alone and it isn't — you're not stored as a contact anywhere, and the plan email is the only one you'll receive.
None of this happens unless you choose to export. If you never export, your plan stays on your device and we never see it. Every one of our emails has an unsubscribe link, and you can ask us to delete your address at any time by writing to support@otterli.com.
Analytics — only if you accept
We use PostHog to understand how Otterli is used so we can improve it. If you accept, PostHog stores the following on your device.
| Name | Type | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
ph_<project>_posthog | Cookie | A randomly generated ID for your browser, plus the current session ID, so repeat visits are recognised as the same person. It is a first-party cookie — it cannot be used to follow you to other websites. | 365 days |
ph_<project>_posthog | Local storage | What the cookie has no room for: the device ID, which features are switched on for you, and some PostHog settings. | Until you clear it |
__ph_opt_in_out_<project> | Local storage | PostHog's own record of whether you opted in or out. It is kept even when you decline, so your refusal isn't forgotten. | Until you clear it |
What we collect when you accept
Being specific about this matters more than the cookie names, so:
- Pages you view, where you arrived from, and your approximate location, browser, and device type.
- Things you click, tap, and submit, captured automatically rather than by us tagging each button.
- Session recordings. PostHog replays your visit — mouse movement, scrolling, clicks, and typing into non-sensitive fields — so we can see where the planner is confusing. Recordings are kept for 90 days. Passwords and fields marked as sensitive are masked, and we don't ask for payment details anywhere on Otterli.
- Errors and performance, including JavaScript errors, browser console messages, and page-speed measurements, so we can find what's broken.
- Aggregate heatmaps of where people click on a page.
- Your IP address, which PostHog uses to work out approximate location. We do not currently have IP anonymisation switched on.
We do not sell this data, share it for advertising, or use it to make automated decisions about you.
If you choose "Essential only"
Nothing from the Analytics section is stored on your device — no cookie, no local storage, no session ID. Session recording never starts, no profile is built, and none of the clicks, errors or replays described above are collected.
We do still count the visit, anonymously. PostHog does this without storing anything on your device: it combines your IP address, browser details and a secret that changes every day into a one-way hash, then discards the IP address once the day's figures are worked out. The hash cannot be reversed, and because the secret changes daily it cannot link you from one day to the next. If you visit on Monday and again on Tuesday, we count two visits and cannot tell they were the same person.
We rely on our legitimate interest in knowing roughly how many people use Otterli and which pages they land on. You can object at any time by writing to support@otterli.com.
Where the data goes
We use two providers, and both act as our data processors — they hold data on our behalf and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.
- PostHog — analytics, and our only recipient of the data in the Analytics section. We use their EU instance, so it is stored on servers within the European Union. Analytics events are retained for up to 7 years; session recordings for 90 days.
- Resend — email delivery and our mailing list. They only ever see your address if you export a plan or sign up to the newsletter.
There are no advertising networks, no social media pixels, no affiliate links, and no third-party trackers on Otterli. Nothing on the site sets a cookie belonging to anyone but us and the two providers above.
Controlling this in your browser
The Cookie settings link in our footer is the quickest route, but your browser has the final say. Every major browser lets you view and delete cookies and local storage for a single site, and block them entirely. Look for Privacy or Site settings in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge.
Blocking everything will stop the meal planner from remembering your plan between visits, because that plan lives in a cookie on your device rather than in an account with us.
Changes and contact
If we add anything that your existing choice didn't cover, we'll reset your consent and ask again rather than quietly extending it. This page will say when it last changed.
Questions about any of this: support@otterli.com. See also our Privacy Policy.